Women with complex health needs are more at risk of having children’s social care involvement with their newborns than other mothers. Around the time of pregnancy, there are opportunities for health services to support women with these needs and mitigate the risk of mother–baby separation. Yet little is known about healthcare professionals’ experiences of providing this support.

We administered an online survey to perinatal healthcare professionals across England (n=70 responders), including midwives, obstetricians, perinatal psychologists/psychiatrists and health visitors. We asked about their experiences of providing care for pregnant women with chronic physical conditions, mental health needs, intellectual/developmental disabilities and substance use disorders, who might be at risk of children’s social care involvement. We conducted a framework analysis.

We constructed five themes from participant data. These include (1) inaccessible healthcare for women with complex needs, (2) the challenges and importance of restoring trust, (3) services focusing on individuals, not families, (4) the necessity and caution around multidisciplinary support and (5) underfunded services inhibiting good practice.

Women who are at risk of children’s social care involvement will likely experience perinatal healthcare inequities. Our findings suggest that current perinatal healthcare provision for this population is inadequate and national guidelines need updated to inform support.

This study aims to describe the lived experiences of couples with a history of recurrent miscarriage in subsequent pregnancies and their perception of clinic support and cytogenetic investigations.

A qualitative interview study with a phenomenological approach. Semistructured interviews were conducted using video conferencing software. Two researchers coded the transcripts and developed themes.

A National Health Service (NHS) hospital in central England between May 2021 and July 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Patients attending a specialist recurrent miscarriage clinic and their partners. This clinic accepts referrals from all over the UK for couples who have suffered two or more miscarriages.

Seventeen participants were interviewed: 14 women and 3 male partners. Six main themes were identified from the data. Three related to the women’s lived experience of recurrent miscarriage (emotions in pregnancy, confidence in their bodies, expectations and coping strategies) and three related to the clinical support offered by the NHS service (impact of early pregnancy scanning, effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and cytogenetic investigations).

Pregnancy following recurrent miscarriage is extremely difficult. Recurrent miscarriage specialist services can provide couples with support and access to early pregnancy scanning, which can make the first trimester of pregnancy manageable. Partners should not be excluded from the clinic as it can result in a feeling of disconnect. Cytogenetic testing of pregnancy tissue can offer couples with recurrent miscarriage closure after pregnancy loss and is a desired investigation.